How To Prevent Dorm Theft In College - Our Dorm Expert Tips!

With the price of textbooks through the roof, high overall expenses, the always present need for cash, and the all-too-inviting open-door policy of dorm life, it is no wonder that dorm theft is common.

What's not common is how widely known an issue it really is. Most dorm thefts are of one item here or one textbook there. Although the problem when lumped together is large, there is rarely the broken-glass-style burglaries that garner headlines. Furthermore, universities are really not trying to be in the local news for having problems with dorm theft. Combine all this and you may naively go off to college not worried about your dorm room stuff getting stolen, which in and of itself makes you a perfect target.

Who's Stealing?
The sad thing is that it is typically your fellow college students. It's entirely possible that someone from off-campus came on to the college campus to steal, but the odds are against it. The reason being is that for these quick backpack swipes, college textbook grabs, or dorm tech stuff steals to even occur, the thief has to be able to blend in. And no one blends in better in the dorms than a fellow college student!

What to watch for?
Nothing! There is nothing obvious to look for. Most college student thieves can be categorized as opportunists. If they see something that has value and it is unattended (with no risk of getting caught), they'll steal it.

The key is to not watch for something, but rather watch your stuff!

With the ability to re-sell textbooks and post anything on Craigslist, eBay, Offerup, or even Facebook, almost everything you own in your dorm room could have value. Even your jacket could be sold to a local consignment shop. So next time you leave a coat or a textbook on a library chair or in your dorm study room, don't be surprised if you become the next victim of dorm theft.



What Can You Do to Secure Your Stuff?

How do you prevent dorm theft if you have a college roommate? After all, you can lock the dorm door as much as you want, but if your college roommate leaves it unlocked or has friends who snoop through your stuff, how do you prevent your dorm stuff from disappearing? Or what if your college roommate is guilty of dorm room thievery? Good question!

Besides the obvious answer, which is talking to your roommate about making sure the door is kept locked when you are both gone, you really can't do much about "friends" coming in and out while one of you is actually in the room. This leads you to no other choice than to proactively keep your college stuff locked up and protected.

What do I need to protect?
- Laptop
- Passport
- Camera
- Cell Phone
- Cash/Credit Card
- Jewelry
- College textbooks

Really anything that can be sold online, or that you feel is valuable to you. Anything that you would lose sleep over if it went missing from your dorm room should be protected.
The best way to keep your college valuables safe is with dorm room security products. You will need at least two dorm room safes. The first college safe would be for your laptop and the second for your other small dorm supplies. Both versions have to ensure that your stuff can't be removed from your dorm room. This means they either need sirens louder than loud, or they need to have the ability to lock to your immovable dorm furniture like your Twin XL bed frame or college dorm desk.

Dorm laptops are definitely a high risk college theft item, but you can easily be prepared to make sure you have your laptop all semester long! An easy way to keep your college laptop safe is with a dorm SWOL Safe! Designed for small Mac or PC laptops, tablets, and more, one of these dorm laptop safes is made to stop opportunistic dorm thieves from making off with such a crucial college item. This college safe comes with a code lock and a safe anchor cable, so you can lock up your college laptop and secure it to your college desk or dorm room bed. This dorm safe can also hold tablets, e-readers, and even passports and cash! Just measure your dorm electronics from a top corner to the opposite bottom corner for correct measurements so you can choose the perfect dorm safe for your needs!

Cost?
Dorm security items are well worth the investment. Peace of mind is worth having! But even if you are running low on funds thanks to the other college essentials you need for your dorm room, we have low cost dorm safety items that should still get the job done. Our Go Vault and Diversion Safes may not be big enough to hold your larger dorm electronics, but they can still keep your money, cellphone, and other small dorm supplies safe when needed. Best of all, these compact college supplies are inexpensive to help meet your college friendly budget.

But the real cost of dorm security can be compared to the cost of not having dorm security! If your electronics for college get stolen, it can cost a lot to replace those college items, especially your laptop. And since you can use our dorm security items outside of college, dorm supplies like our Locking Storage Trunks and Yak About It Locking Dorm Furniture are well worth it! Peace of mind when you are in class and not having to replace your dorm valuables is priceless, so make sure one of these dorm safes is at the top of your college essentials checklist!